Celery-bleaching sleeve.



G. W. MARK;

GELBRY BLEAGHING SLEEVE.

APPLICATION FILED 00w. e, 1908.

93 1 ,628- Patented. Aug. 17, 1909.

inf A; I

an Q /Z I I [Zea UNITED STATES PATENT FFEQE.

CHARLES W. MARK, OF GAINESBORO, VIRGINIA.

CELERY-BLEAGHING SLEEVE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES IV. Mann, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gainesboro, in the countyof Frederick and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Celery-Bleaching Sleeves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the culture of celery and has for its object to provide a device for use in banking the celery plant to promote the bleaching thereof, which will be so arranged that it may be easily and quickly placed in position without injury to the plant, and will act as a form against which the earth may be banked, the arrangement of the sleeve being such that it may be easily withdrawn from the banked earth.

Another object to provide a sleeve which may be constructed from sheet metal at a low figure, and which will include finger pieces facilitating its withdrawal from the earth and also acting to strengthen the struc ture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and it will be understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims wit-hout departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a sectional view through a partially banked celery plant showing the use of the present invention, the sleeves being shown as having been drawn upwardly to complete a bank of greater depth than the sleeve, Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the two portions of the sleeve connected, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the two portions of the sleeve disconnected, Fig. 4 is a detail section showing the arrangement of the strengthening wire and finger piece.

Referring now to the drawings, the present invention comprises two members 5 and 6 respectively, which are formed of galvanized iron or other suitable sheet metal, being first stamped or cut in rectangular blocks which are afterward curved transversely to produce concavo convex semi cylindrical members. The member 5 has its longitudinal free edge portions bent outwardly and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 6, 1908.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

Serial No. 256,390.

at an angle to extend over the outer face of the member, as shown at 7, and the member (5 has its longitudinal edge portion bent outwardly at an obtuse angle as shown at S, and then bent inwardly at an acute angle as shown at 9. The portions 7 and 9 thus form flanges which may be mutually engaged to hold the two members 5 and G together. By reason of the bending of the portion 8, the concavo-convex portions of the two members have a common curvature and thus form a complete circle.

In use, the member 5 is disposed around one side of a celery plant, and one of the flanges 9 of the member 6 is engaged within one of the flanges 7 of the member 5. The member 6 is then swung pivotally to bring its other flange 9 into engagement with the other flange 7 as will be understood. The upper corner at one side of each of the members is cut away diagonally as shown at 10, and the opposite upper corner of each of the members is first cut inwardly at right angles to its longitudinal edges and is then cut upwardly and inwardly as indicated at 11, the straight portion being indicated at 12. The upper edge portions of the two members be tween the cut-away portion are curved outwardly to form arcuate ribs 13, these ribs being hollow, and receiving curved strengthening wires lt. The strengthening wires extend outwardly beyond the edges indicated at 11, and these outwardly extending portions are curved outwardly and then over the convex faces of the members and then inwardly to produce rings 15 which thus extend laterally from the members and form finger pieces for engagement by the fingers of the user to withdraw the sleeve from the ground. As disclosed by the drawings, the structure just described is such that the strengthening rib 13 of each member terminates short of the edges of the member at both ends, one end 13 being spaced a greater distance from the edge of the member than the other end 13 the end 13 having the strengthening wire extending therebeyond and curved to form the ring. By reason of this spacing of the ends of the strengthening ribs from the edges of the members, these ribs do not interfere with the co-engagement of the flanges of the members, nor do the rings 15 interfere with such co-engagement. The strengthening ribs 13 also present curved upper edges to the members, which prevent injury of the celery plant through engagement thereof by the members of the sleeve.

It will be understood that after the two members have been engaged about a celery plant, as described in the foregoing, the earth is packed against the outer surfaces of the two members, and the sleeve then withdrawn upwardly from the ground. If it is desired to make the banking of the celery plant a greater depth than the sleeve itself, the sleeve may be first partially withdrawn and the banking continued, and the sleeve afterward entirely withdrawn.

What is claimed is 1. A bleaching sleeve for celery comprising a body open at both ends and consisting of two transversely curved elongated members having flanges at their longitudinal edges, the said flanges of the two members being removably engaged with each other, and laterally extending finger pieces carried by the upper ends of the members.

2. A bleaching sleeve for celery comprising a tubular portion, the upper edge portion of the tubular portion being curved outwardly to form strengthening ribs, and strengthening Wires engaged in the strengthening ribs, said wires having portions bent to extend laterally from the tubular portion to form finger pieces by which the tubular portion may be raised.

3. A celery sleeve comprising two members each formed from an elongated metallic blank curved transversely throughout its entire length, the longitudinal edges of one of said members being bent outwardly to extend at an acute angle to the convex surface of the member, the longitudinal edge portion of the other member being first bent outwardly at an obtuse angle and then inwardly at an acute angle, the last named portion of the second member and the outwardly bent portions of the first member being mutually engaged to hold the two members with their concave surfaces directed inwardly, and strengthening wires engaged with the upper ends of the two members, said strengthening wires being bent at one end to produce outwardly extending finger pieces located at opposite sides of the sleeve.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WV. MARK. \Vitnesses PAUL F. Gnovn, H. E. CHANDLER. 

